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Aug 18, 2026, 3:04 AM

The Vanishing Democratic Alibi: India and the West’s New Politics of Power

Trump welcomes Mecca Pact. An AI Illustration.

On August 16, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he was “very happy” the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement had “finally” been signed, calling it a “BIG, BOLD, AND IMPORTANT FIRST STEP” and congratulating the “Great Leadership” of Saudi...

Aug 17, 2026, 7:00 PM

Israel Will Price Riyadh’s Exit From the Dependence It Bought in Ankara and Islamabad

Riyadh bought protection from Ankara and Islamabad and imported their vetoes into its own security core. Neither will fight Saudi Arabia’s war with Iran; both need Tehran intact, while Turkey shields Hamas and profits when IMEC stalls. Jerusalem will...

Shaike Komornik

Aug 14, 2026, 6:48 PM

The Mecca Pact: Should Israel be worried?

AI collage

Over the past weekend, a dramatic diplomatic ceremony unfolded at Al-Safa Palace in Mecca. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif signed the "Mecca Joint Defense Agreement", a trilateral...

Sheldon Kirshner

Aug 14, 2026, 6:46 PM

A New Mideast Alliance

On August 8, a day after Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan announced the formation of a joint defence pact, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif spoke bluntly. Claiming that Israel is an "illegitimate state" and a "threat to the entire...

Sergio Restelli

Aug 11, 2026, 6:06 AM

The Little Prince: Mohammed bin Salman’s Shaky Rise to Power

Screenshot

Mohammed bin Salman has spent a decade projecting inevitability. He would modernise Saudi Arabia, diversify its economy, defeat the Houthis, contain Iran and establish the Kingdom as the dominant Arab power. The domestic transformation is real. The religious establishment...

Aug 10, 2026, 8:17 AM

Israel Is Surrounded Today. Are You Aware of What Comes Next?

Since October 2023, Israel has fought on six fronts: Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. Five of them were not countries in any useful sense. They were militias holding ground inside countries, armed and paid from the same...

Aug 9, 2026, 5:34 PM

The Coming Sunni Encirclement

While Trump vacillates between total war and détente with Iran, Turkey has moved quickly to fill the regional vacuum. Last week, Hakan Fidan announced the Mecca Agreement, a defensive pact between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The pact was...

Sergio Restelli

Aug 9, 2026, 6:52 AM

Pakistan Wants to Turn the Mecca Pact Into an Islamic anti-Israel NATO

Barely hours after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed their new mutual defence agreement in Mecca, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif gave the emerging alliance something its official text had carefully avoided: an enemy. Israel (and India). Asif called for Muslim...

Aug 8, 2026, 5:49 PM

Mecca Pact Implications for Israel and Washington

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, and the Rise of Strategic Autonomy The signing of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August 7, 2026, by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan marks an important development in the changing security order of the Middle...

Aug 8, 2026, 5:35 PM

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Paradox: High Spending, Persistent Vulnerabilities

Saudi Arabia ranks among the world’s largest defense spenders and operates advanced aircraft, missiles, and air-defense systems. Yet high expenditure has not produced complete protection. The kingdom’s vulnerability reflects a mismatch between the threats it faces, and the institutions,...

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